PISCATAWAY — Rutgers announced increases Monday in ticket prices for 2014, its first season in the Big Ten, as means to combat student fee subsidies that have become some of the largest in the nation.

Football season-ticket holders will pay $3 to $5 more next season, and parking costs increase, as well. Athletic Director Julie Hermann said Monday she used an independent focus group — she invoked a similar strategy at Louisville — to help determine the value of experience with respect to price hikes.

Hermann said she expects Rutgers’ move to the Big Ten to drive season-ticket sales, which have already surpassed 22,300.

In 2012, Rutgers’ athletic department spent $28 million more than it generated, which it covered with $9.5 million in student fees, according to a USA Today report in July. Former Athletic Director Tim Pernetti said he made it a priority to drive down the subsidy each year before his forced resignation in April.

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“We’re looking at all our revenue options,” Hermann said. “Obviously season-ticket pricing for football is one of them. Parking is another one. We’ve got some of corporate America involved with us but not enough.”

Still, few other options remain internally to close the budget gap. Big Ten schools were expected to generate $25.7 million each of shared income in 2012-13 as a result of league affiliation, according to an ESPN report.

Hermann must also balance generating revenue with which streams it comes through.

“The single-game pricing for most of our Big Ten (football games) will be high,” she said. “The reason we do that is we’re not going to let (opponents) buy up single-game tickets. If they do that, we’re going to make some revenue off that. That is what I’m charged to do.”

About the Author

Tyler Barto is a 2013 Rutgers graduate and a Westampton, N.J., native. Reach the author at tbarto@trentonian.com
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